|| REVIEW || Stretchbot (PC)
Developed By : M5 Games Published By : M5 Games
Category : Platformer, Retro, Indie Release Date : February 5, 2020
When I think back to all the platformers I've played, going back as far as my childhood, I can say that I felt I'd done just about everything with the characters I was in control of. Walk, run, jump, fly, fall. It wasn't until I saw Stretchbot thought that I realized nothing came to mind for characters that stretched.
With Stretchbot, we find ourselves in the future, in a world stuck in the grips of the evil Kid Scientist. Hellbent on power, the Kid Scientist has destroyed the planet in his plot to find greater and greater power resources. You play as Stretch, a steam-powered robot that can stretch who wakes up forgotten and left for dead in a junkyard. Do you have what it takes to make it out past the other discarded and evil robots and save the planet from the Kid?
The game is a very simple platformer, focusing more on the platforming itself rather than the speed at which you do so. Stretch can only move at a certain speed, so you won't be running to jump and chunk off some big areas. Instead you'll be looking for the right timing and path to get you through the areas. And while you can't increase your movement speed, you may wish you could as each level comes with a small time limit of at least a couple minutes.
Completing the levels won't be as simple as just jumping your way over and through. You'll begin things in a junkyard that is littered with other discarded robots, and these guys pose a constant threat to your mission. Luckily you can fire off projectiles to counter their's, so it evens the battlefield a bit. However, in each of the games three areas, the final level will be a showdown against a pretty big boss.
Boss fights will put you to the test, but it won't be an entirely dire situation. Stretch starts the game off with the ability to...well, stretch. Certain areas you jump through will have a small section of metal plates that, if you're close enough, you can activate this power to stretch your arms, grab the plates and swing.
These won't be the only skills Stretch can learn though. As you make your way through the levels, you'll be able to collect bits of parts that act as your currency to purchase these skills. The grapple ability is yours automatically from the start, but the further ones you can purchase do things such as dealing damage to closeby enemies, temporary invincibility, a jet-pack that lets you fly up higher, and extending Stretch's health.
The other thing you'll be able to collect through the levels are big gears. There are three in each level, except for boss levels, and you'll need to casually get some of these since it's how you'll unlock further levels. You won't need to get all of them, but you'll have to be a little vigilant in your collecting.
Stretchbot is a really fun game, although it is a bit on the shorter side. The game is made up of two dozen levels, which means you can complete this game in about an hour or two with some minor struggling. This doesn't take away from how much fun the game is to play, but if you're looking for a long experience that's going to make you struggle along the way, this might not be one for you. If you don't mind a quick burn of a game though, this is one to surely keep you happy and occupied. But when considering the length of the game too, bear in mind that this is also a title released on mobile app stores.
With Stretchbot, we find ourselves in the future, in a world stuck in the grips of the evil Kid Scientist. Hellbent on power, the Kid Scientist has destroyed the planet in his plot to find greater and greater power resources. You play as Stretch, a steam-powered robot that can stretch who wakes up forgotten and left for dead in a junkyard. Do you have what it takes to make it out past the other discarded and evil robots and save the planet from the Kid?
The game is a very simple platformer, focusing more on the platforming itself rather than the speed at which you do so. Stretch can only move at a certain speed, so you won't be running to jump and chunk off some big areas. Instead you'll be looking for the right timing and path to get you through the areas. And while you can't increase your movement speed, you may wish you could as each level comes with a small time limit of at least a couple minutes.
Completing the levels won't be as simple as just jumping your way over and through. You'll begin things in a junkyard that is littered with other discarded robots, and these guys pose a constant threat to your mission. Luckily you can fire off projectiles to counter their's, so it evens the battlefield a bit. However, in each of the games three areas, the final level will be a showdown against a pretty big boss.
Boss fights will put you to the test, but it won't be an entirely dire situation. Stretch starts the game off with the ability to...well, stretch. Certain areas you jump through will have a small section of metal plates that, if you're close enough, you can activate this power to stretch your arms, grab the plates and swing.
These won't be the only skills Stretch can learn though. As you make your way through the levels, you'll be able to collect bits of parts that act as your currency to purchase these skills. The grapple ability is yours automatically from the start, but the further ones you can purchase do things such as dealing damage to closeby enemies, temporary invincibility, a jet-pack that lets you fly up higher, and extending Stretch's health.
The other thing you'll be able to collect through the levels are big gears. There are three in each level, except for boss levels, and you'll need to casually get some of these since it's how you'll unlock further levels. You won't need to get all of them, but you'll have to be a little vigilant in your collecting.
Stretchbot is a really fun game, although it is a bit on the shorter side. The game is made up of two dozen levels, which means you can complete this game in about an hour or two with some minor struggling. This doesn't take away from how much fun the game is to play, but if you're looking for a long experience that's going to make you struggle along the way, this might not be one for you. If you don't mind a quick burn of a game though, this is one to surely keep you happy and occupied. But when considering the length of the game too, bear in mind that this is also a title released on mobile app stores.
Game Rating : 8/10
Pick up the game HERE on Steam
Also available on Android and iPhone devices
A code for this game was graciously provided to the site for purpose of review
